Chūgoku Region

The 中国 (chūgoku) region of Japan lies on 本州 (honshū), the largest island in the country. Consisting of Shimane Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, Okayama Prefecture, Hiroshima Prefecture, and Yamaguchi Prefecture, this region has many areas with an abundance of nature and even cities that are bustling with people. Here, there are a lot of well-known foods that sprung up after WWII, along with many Buddhist temples and Shintō shrines that have much history. In the Chūgoku region, you can enjoy a few different sides of Japan.

During WWII, an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima Prefecture. Since then, Hiroshima Prefecture has become an area known around the world. The “Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum” opened its doors in 1955 to teach the world about what had happened during the war in Hiroshima. Many foreign tourists visit Hiroshima each year specifically to visit this museum, and the number of those visiting is increasing yearly. Despite this, the Chūgoku region is still one of the least visited regions by tourists in Japan. There are local specialities from prefectures in this region that are rather well-known by the Japanese and other prefectures that many Japanese don’t know much about. Here, you can visit places that feel as if they’ve never been explored. You can experience Japanese tradition in many quiet and calm areas. With towns here that have natural hot springs and traditional Japanese inns with history behind them, this is a region where you can relax while enjoying Japanese culture to its fullest.

The 関門海峡 (kanmon-kaikyō) is a bridge in Yamaguchi Prefecture that connects Honshū to 九州 (kyūshū). Those that go from Kyūshū to Honshū will first go through the Chūgoku region, giving it an important role in Japan. Also, seeing as how close this region is to Kyūshū, a part of the unique food and so on from Kyūshū can be found in the Chūgoku region. This region has its own unique culture, yet it also mixes cultures from other parts of the country. This is an interesting region, as it’s also where many historical figures and other famous people in the modern-day came from. With areas that are easily accessible by public transportation and other areas that can only be reached by car or motorcycle, this is a region in which a variety of different trips are possible.